Addressing machine



F 1930. H. E. HUBBARD Er AL 1,745,994

ADDRES S ING MACHI NE Filed March1 6, 192v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 4, 1930. H. E. HUBBARD ET AL ADDRESSING MACHINE Filed March 16. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 4, 1930 more srArEs HENRY E. HUBBARD, OF CHICAGO, AND HERBERT L. THOMPSON, F ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 ADDRESSOGRAI'H COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION-OF DELAWARE ADDRESSING MACHINE Application filed March 16, 1927.

. The object of this invention is to provide a small and eflicient printing machine in which printing devices bearing address or other forms are fed one at a time manually into printing position for printing through a ribbon' to address envelopes, cards and doing similar work.

Other objects of the invention are to provide novel means which can be easily adjusted for feeding and reversing the feed of the ribbon; to guide the ribbon in a diagonal direction through printing position; to provide a novel work gauge which can be easily adjusted as required for envelopes, cards and e other work of different sizes; and generally to provide a machine of novel and simple but strong and substantial construction, which can be operated without special skill and which is designed for use by those having relatively small mailing lists or where a machine of limited capacity is suflicient to meet the requirements of a business.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a selected embodiment of the'invention and referring thereto: I

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine, with the platen arm broken away.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a-portion of the machine showing the ribbon spools and reversing device.

F Fig. 5 is a sectional view %n the line 55 of Fig. 6 is a detailed view partly broken away and in section, showing a ribbon spool and its mounting. V

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view through the ribbon spool. j 4

Fig. 8 is a detail end view of the ribbon s 00 Referring to the drawings themachine comprises a main frame 6, a platen 7 carried by a platen arm 8 which is mounted to swing Serial No. 175,762.

on the transverse shaft 9 supported in the frame, and a spring 10 fastened at one end 11 to the lever 22 and at the other end 12 to a projection 13 on the platen arm, which normally holds the platen arm in elevated position, Fig. 2, with projection 13 engaging stop 6'. An ink ribbon 1 1 is secured at its ends to spools 15, 15 which are mounted to revolve freely on rods 16, 16 rigidly secured at their inner ends in lugs 17 on the under side of the frame. Each of these spools is provided in its preiphery with an elongated longitudinal slot 18 which communicates with a bore 19, of largerdiameter than the width of the slot. A wire is arranged in a loop at each endof the ribbon and is inserted in the bore with the ribbon passing through the slot, the slot being enlarged at its inner end 18- to the width of the bore to facilitate inserting the pin enclosed in the folded ribbon. By this simple means the ribbon is secured at each endto a spool. Each spool has a ratchet wheel-2O for automatic feed and a knurled finger piece 21 for hand adjustment. A lever 22 is pivoted at 22 on a stud 23 which is adjustably mounted in a projection 24' on the under side of the frame and the rear end of this lever is pivotally connected at 25 with one end of a link 26 which is pivotally connected at its other end to the platen arm 8 at 27, Fig. 2. A pawl 28 is carried on the front end of the lever 22 and it is arranged to be swung manually into engagement'with one or the other'ratchet wheels 20.

Operation of the platen arm causes the lever to swing on its pivot and feed the spool with the ratchet wheel with which the pawl 28 is engaged until the ribbon has been commachine and the ribbon travels over rounded guides 29 formed on strips 30 secured to the I port 31 having an opening 32 at impression position is detachably mounted on the machine being provided with projections 33 wnich engage lips 34 on the ends of the strips 30. The work is arranged in proper position on the Work support and the platen arm is depressed manually to force the envelop or card or whatever the work may be through the opening 32 and in contact with the ribbon 14 to force the ribbon against the type characters on a printing device 35 which is arranged beneath the ribbon. The printing device is inserted in and removed from the machine manually and it is held in guides 36, in printing position upon the bed 37.by the strips 30' which overlap the guides 36 and form ways in which the ends of the printing device travel when the printing device is inserted and removed from the machine.

A gauge bar 38 projects transversely across the machine back of the work support and the envelop or card is arranged with its upper edge in engagement with this gauge to properly position it for the prmtmg 1mpression. The gauge bar is carried by a rod 39 which is arranged to slide in a groove 40 in the frame, and it also passes through an enlarged opening 41 in a detent 42 which is seated in a bore 43 in the frame and is tensioned by a spring 45. The springvexerts sufiicient tension on the detent to hold the rod 39 inany position to which the gauge may be adjusted, but at the same time it permlts the gau e to be adjusted readily by moving the bar engthwise. Thus the gauge may be quickly adjusted to receive envelopes, cards p or other work varying in size. The platen 7 is secured to the platen arm by a screw 46 I which is provided with a knob 47 to receive the blow from the operators hand for depressing the platen arm. The screw is located centrally of the platen 7 and platen head 8' and adjusting screws 48 are arranged on opposite sides of the screw 46 and between said screw 46 and the front of the platen and platen head. The screw 46 is threaded in the platen 7 and a spring 46' is arranged thereon between the platen head8' and the knob 47; the screws 48 are threaded 1n the platen head 8' and their lower ends engage unthreaded sockets 7 in the platen for adjusting the platen transversely.

'* The invention comprises a strong and sub- Thus the.

stantial compact addressing machine of small size which is eflicient in operation and will produce work comparable with larger. and more expensive machines. The essential parts of an addressing machine are made in a simple but substantial form to perform their several operations in an eficient manner and produce uniform impressions from the printing devices. The ribbon feed and reverse mechanism is of extreme simplicity and the pawl 28 and the ratchets 20 are located at the front of the machine where the pawl can be easily shifted from one ratchet to the other, but at the same time they are in a position within the frame where they do not interfere with the operator in feeding printing devices and envelopes or cards to the machine. A spring pressed pin 49 is mounted in the lever 22 andis adapted to hold the pawl in either of its adjusted posichine.

We are aware that changes in the form,-

construction and arrangement of parts of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof and we reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly 'fall within thescope of the following claims:

We claim:

1. In an addressing machine, the combination of a frame, a pair of ribbon spools revolubly mounted in the frame, a ratchet wheel for each ribbon spool, said ratchet wheels being arranged in substantial alignment spaced apart across the frame at the front 'part thereof, a platen arm pivotally mounted at the rear part of the frame, and a lever having an adjustable pivot between the ratchet wheels and the platen arm, said lever being connected at one end with the platen arm. to

be operated thereby, and'a pawl ad'ustably mounted on the other end of the lever etween said wheels and adapted to be engaged with either of said wheels for operating a wheel intermittently.

2. In an addressing machine, the combination of a frame, a pair of revoluble ribbon spools mounted in the frame, aligned ratchet Wheels for operating said spools aligned in the same plane and spaced apart, a platen arm, a lever pivoted intermedlate its ends in the frame and extending at right-angles to for operating said spools arranged in plane alignment and spaced apart, a platen arm, a

lever pivoted intermediate its ends in the frame and having a, link connection at its rear end with said platen arm and having its other end extending to the sgace between the wheels, and a pawl adjusta 1y mounted on the said other end of said lever between the ratchet wheels and adapted to be swun into engagement with either of said whee s for operating a wheel intermittently.

HENRY E. HUBBARD.

HERBERT L. THOMPSON. 

